Getty Images has reaffirmed support of - and a significant presence at - Visa pour L’Image 2013, the 25th anniversary of the international photojournalism festival held annually in Perpignan, France. Jonathan Klein, Co-Founder and CEO of Getty Images says, “Getty Images is committed to excellence in photojournalism and pleased to be a partner at this year’s landmark 25th Visa pour L’Image festival. We established the Getty Images Grants for Editorial Photography program to support the efforts of photojournalists to report on important events of our time that might otherwise go unseen. As the premier international gathering of the reportage community, Visa Pour L’Image is the ideal environment to share, discuss and celebrate the awe-inspiring work that photojournalists do every day.” The winners of the Getty Images Grants for Editorial Photography programme will be announced on September 5th, with the winning recipients showcasing their chosen projects the following day.

Getty Press Release

Getty Images Amplifies Support for Photojournalism Community Through Significant Presence at 25th Anniversary of Visa pour L’Image

Committed to international press freedom and the belief that images can be a powerful force for change, Getty Images sponsors photojournalism festival for sixth consecutive year, announcing recipients of its Grants for Editorial Photography program during the festival.
New York, NY – July 18, 2013 Getty Images has reaffirmed support of - and a significant presence at - Visa pour L’Image 2013, the 25th anniversary of the international photojournalism festival held annually in Perpignan, France. This is the sixth year Getty Images has been a sponsor of the prestigious festival, announcing the recipients of its renowned Grants for Editorial Photography program on the ground, demonstrating its continued commitment to the photojournalism industry and emerging talent.

The Grants for Editorial Photography program showcases and supports powerful and inspiring photojournalism projects. Judged by industry greats including Jon Jones, Director of Photography at The Sunday Times Magazine and Tiziana Faraoni, Photo Editor at l'Espresso, five grants of $10,000 will be awarded to photojournalists pursuing projects of personal and journalistic significance. The winners will be announced on September 5th, with the winning recipients showcasing their chosen projects the following day.

Jonathan Klein, Co-Founder and CEO of Getty Images says, “Getty Images is committed to excellence in photojournalism and pleased to be a partner at this year’s landmark 25th Visa pour L’Image festival. We established the Getty Images Grants for Editorial Photography program to support the efforts of photojournalists to report on important events of our time that might otherwise go unseen. As the premier international gathering of the reportage community, Visa Pour L’Image is the ideal environment to share, discuss and celebrate the awe-inspiring work that photojournalists do every day.”

Getty Images will also have a strong presence at the festival through an exhibition of one of its photojournalists, Majid Saeedi. Syndicated by Reportage by Getty Images, Majid’s project, titled Life in War showcases the daily lives of the Afghan people and has been chosen to feature as one of the coveted exhibition spots throughout the duration of the three week festival.

A topic the company will also be exploring at Visa pour L’Image is industry commitment to the aiding and protection of photojournalists when reporting from war zones. In February this year, the company backed A Day Without News?, an initiative founded by Aidan Sullivan, Vice President at Getty Images, to raise awareness of the vital role correspondents and photojournalists play and the risks they face when reporting from war zones. It has just been announced that the campaign has helped influence the United Nations Security Council to hold an open debate on the protection of journalists - the first time the council has considered this issue in a separate meeting since the adoption of resolution 1738 on the protection of journalists in December, 2006.

On the exciting development Aidan Sullivan, Vice President, Photo Assignments, Editorial Partnerships and Development at Getty Images says, “A Day Without News? highlighted the risks undertaken by photojournalists to bring us content from the front line, and we are proud to have played a part in what could be a landmark change to protect these individuals.”